Snow
by cherryblossom94
Summary: SakuraXItachi When her lover leaves her, the snow goes with him.  She waits for years, hoping he'll come back, bringing the snow back as well. When she has finally given up hope, it snows again, for the first time in years.  What can this mean? Rated K


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it, but the plot is mine.****As a little side note, this is a little AU. It has to be in order for this pairing to work out. Enjoy!**

It was a cold, sunless day in Konoha. Everyone was inside, thinking only about keeping warm. That is, all except one pink-haired woman.

She sat before the memorial stone, thinking only about the man who haunted her dreams, preventing her from getting sleep at night. Her friends all noticed the change in her, ever since he left to go on that S-ranked mission in Grass. Everyone knew when he first left that the chances of survival were highly unlikely. But she wouldn't hear of it. She would always smile and simply say, "He will return. He promised me."

They all knew beneath that fake smile, she was slowly dying inside. She always tried her hardest not to let the pain show, but to those who knew her well, it was clearly written all over her face. After he left, she waited patiently. But weeks turned into months and months turned into years. And after two years and no word from him, they all assumed him dead. They held a ceremony for him, but she did not attend.

Tears slowly ran down her pale, angelic face as she remembered the last time she saw him.

**Flashback**

_She was just getting home, coat wrapped tight around her petite body and gloves and scarf in place. Just as she turned the corner, she bumped into a hard, yet warm, chest. She gasped and looked up, only to be staring into the deep obsidian orbs of her lover._

"_Itachi-kun! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised._

_His eyes softened, but his face remained impassive._

"_Sakura, I have just been assigned an S-ranked mission to Grass. Hokage-sama doesn't know how long it will last." He paused, waiting for it to finally click. When he noticed the widening of her emerald eyes, he continued. "I just wanted to say goodbye before I left. I figured you deserved to know what happened."_

_She was shocked, for two different reasons. For one, she had never, ever, in the entire time she had known him, heard him talk so much in less than a minute. Second, if Tsunade-shishou had assigned him an S-ranked mission, it meant that it could last forever, literally, and that the chances of survival were slim. _

_But she also knew that Itachi was one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha and he could take care of himself._

"_Itachi, I-I don't know what to say. I would tell you to be careful, but I know I don't need to." She gave him a shaky, forced smile, trying to convince him that she would be fine. He didn't buy it. In an instant, she was crushed up against his body and surrounded by his warmth. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck._

_His soft voice rang through her head. "Sakura, I will return someday. This much I promise you." He could hear her softly crying into his chest. After some time, the crying had died away and the couple was enveloped in silence. Finally, she spoke._

"_Alright. That is a promise I'm expecting you to keep. No matter what, I will not lose hope." She gave him a small smile. Right then, he smiled back. It was quick, but enough to leave her shell-shocked. He tightened his hug and then was gone in a flash, leaving her on the sidewalk alone._

_She stayed in that very same spot for was seemed like hours, until she felt something wet land on her face. She looked up and held her hand out in front of her. "It's snowing."_

**End of flashback**

It had been three years since that day, and it hadn't snowed a single winter after that, which was strange because Konoha was loaded with snow every winter. It still hadn't snowed yet this year. She was looking forward to the time when the snows would come again, covering the ground in a sparkling white blanket, putting the plants to sleep for the winter.

She wiped her tears away and sighed softly. She stood up and began walking away from the memorial stone.

On her way home, she passed by the exact spot where she had last seen him. _I will return._ Her only thoughts were of how it could have been. She walked passed it without another glance and continued down the sidewalk. She wandered around a bit, not ready to go home just yet. She came upon a park and found a bench overlooking the park to sit on.

She just sat there for a few minutes, slowly losing the feeling in her hands. After sometime, she couldn't feel her hands at all. Just as she was getting up to leave, a large hand came down on her shoulder. She looked up and couldn't believe her eyes.

"I-Itachi?" she asked, unbelievingly. His answering response was a nod and then she was crushed against his chest, just like the day he left. "Where have you been all this time? Y-you were gone so long, everyone had lost all hope."

She looked up at him, her emerald eyes brimmed with tears.

"I have come back though, haven't I?" The tears spilled over and she held him tighter against her as if afraid he would disappear again. "I promised you I would return, and I have kept that promise." He grabbed her chin and gently lifted it up so he could see her face. Not one for words, he crushed his lips down on hers in a quick, but passionate kiss. It not showed, but told her how much he loved her.

He bent his head down so that his forehead was touching hers and they stood there, staring into each other's eyes. She felt something land on her cheek and turned her head towards the sky.

She smiled the beautiful smile he had missed, one that would always take his breath away. She then turned her head back down to stare deeply into his eyes. She said, "It's snowing."

**Hey guys! I know, I know…I'm supposed to be working on my other stories, but the idea hit me and wouldn't leave my at peace until I had written it. The inspiration, you ask? Well in Illinois, where I live, we used to get a bunch of snow when I was a little girl, but the past few years, I haven't seen much of the fluffy white stuff I love so much. So imagine my joy and surprise when I hear my uncle tell us that it was snowing outside tonight. So I rushed to the window, and sure enough, it was snowing. I was ecstatic!! Lol! Anyway, I love the ItaSaku pairing and decided I would write this as an early Christmas present to all of you who actually read my stories. Well tell me what you thought of it! I know it was kinda short, but I figured it would do. Anyway, leave a review! The reviews I get give me the motivation I need to write (they also assure me that my writing, in fact, doesn't suck as bad as I think it does. lol) Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year (early..hehehe)!**

**cherryblossom94**


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